Cattle-guard.



W. E. DEMENTV I CATTLE GUARD. APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 190B.

Patented Dec. .22. 1908.

. [UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CATTLE-GUARD Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

Application filed April 16, 1908. Serial No. 427,344.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALLACE E. DEMENT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Blaine, in the county of Whatcom and State of /Vashington,have invented a new and useful Cattle-Guard, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to cattle guards for use adjacent railway tracks,the same being in a position adjacent the track where it offers noobstruction to the movement of trains but automatically assuming aposition above the track when an animal endeavors to travel along thetrack and past the gate.

The invention is more particularly designed as an improvement upon thestructure described and claimed in Patent No. 812,984, granted to me onFeb. 20, 1906.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient meanswhereby the power may be transmitted from a portable platform to theseries of gate arms or pickets which are pivotally supported adjacentthe track and are designed to be successively extended into positionabove the track after the manner of a fan.

A further object is to provide means whereby the power necessary toshift the gate into or out of open position is reduced to the minimum.

A further object is to provide means for adjustably connecting the gatewith the power mechanism.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction and combinations of parts which will behereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of theinvention.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the cattle guard inposition adjacent a railway track. Fig. 2 is a section on line 0cm,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of one of the gates, the same being shownextended and the connection between the gate and the platform beingshown in section.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 11 designate tieson which rails 2 are mounted and secured to these ties and extendingbeyond the ends thereof are parallel guide strips 3 between which aremounted tiltable sections 4 which are mounted on bearing rods 5 securedto the strips 3 and adjacent the rails 2. These tiltable sections Iextend under the rails 2 and are arranged in pairs, the sections of eachpair being disposed in alinement and having arms 6 extending from theirinner or adjoining ends. One of these arms has an upturned ear 7provided with an aperture 8 in which works a tongue 9 extending from theother arm. This tongue is preferably curved as indicated in Fig. 2 andconstitutes a movable connection between the two tiltable sections. Eachof these sections is preferably provided with a suitable weight 10 atits outer end whereby the tiltable members 4 are held normally inhorizontal positions. Connected to one section 4 of each pair is aplatform section 11 the same being preferably attached to said tiltablesection by means of hinges 12. The platform section 11 loosely rests onthe other section 4 as indicated in Fig. 2. It is to be understood thatany desired number of these platform sections and tiltable supportstherefor may be provided, said sections being located between the tiesand adjacent the gates to be operated thereby. Fastened to the tiltablesections 4 at each side of the track is a connecting bar 13 whichextends parallel with the track and terminates in a ferrule 14. 'A link15 is pivotally connected to a holding strip 16 secured longitudinallyupon one of the ties and a lever 17 is also pivotally connected to thisstrip and is connected to link 15 by means of an intermediate link 18.Links 18 and 15 are mounted upon the ferrule 14 heretofore referred toand the lower pivot 19 of link 15 is disposed in alinement with the rods5 as indicated in Fig. 1.

Arranged upon one of the ties and at each side of the track is aninclined box or housing 20 having a pivot bolt 21 extending transverselythrough the lower portion thereof and mounted on this pivot bolt is aplurality of arms or pickets 22 designed to fold into the housing whennot in use, said arms being connected by chains 23 or other flexibledevices and one of the arms being attached to the housing by anotherflexible connection from one of the end arms while the other end arm,indicated by the character 22, has a hanger 25 pivotally connected toits upper end and designed to swing relative thereto, said hanger havinga stop 26 for limiting its movement in one direction relative to thearms. Arm 22 has a finger 27 extending therefrom and across the arms 22as indi- 24. This connection preferably extendscated in Fig. 1, saidfinger constituting a device for successively contacting with the armsand returning them to their folded positions as will be hereinafterdescribed. A rod 28 is pivotally connected to arm 22 and is screwthreaded. This threaded portion of the rod extends loosely through asleeve 29 swiveled or otherwise connected to the upper portion of lever17 and retaining nuts 30 engage the rod at opposite ends of the sleeve29 so as to hold said sleeve against longitudi nal movement upon therod.

When the gate is not in use arms 22 and 22 assume positions within andabove the housings 20 with hangers 25 supported at one side of arms 22as indicated in Fig. 2; When an animal steps upon the track with theintention of passing between the gates its weight, as soon as applied toone or more of the platform sections 11, will cause said sections tomove downward, thus simultaneously raising the tiltable members 4supporting them. As these members have the bars 13 fastened to them saidbars will describe arcs about the pivots 5 and 19 and will cause thelinks 15 to push u against links 18 which will in turn swing levers 17toward each other. Motion will therefore be transmitted through rod 28to the first arm 22 of each gate and the remaining arms 22 will besuccessively drawn outward by the flexible connections 23 until they allassume a fan-like position as indicated in Fig. 3. Hangers 25 will ofcourse maintain vertical ositions and will serve to close the spacebelow the arms 22. As soon as the weight is removed from the platformsections the parts will be returned by the weights 10 and arms 22 willbe swung backward into the housing and the remaining arms 22 will bedrawn thereafter by the fingers 27.

It will be seen that these gates are very simple, durable and compactand their operation is produced with slight power owing to the increasedleverage obtained by means of the novel connections between the platformsections and the levers 17.

Vt hat is claimed is:

1. In a cattle guard the combination with vertically swinging guardmembers having a mutual pivotal support; of tiltable operating members,an oscillating lever connected to one of the guard members, and meansrigidly connected to and movable with the tiltable r members foractuating the lever.

2. In a cattle guard the combination with a plurality of verticallyswinging guard members and flexible connections therebetween; oftiltable operatlng devices, means A operated by the depression thereoffor swingtiltable devices.

8. In a cattle guard the combination with a plurality of verticallyswinging members having a mutual pivot and flexible connections betweensaid members; of a depressible platform, means operated by thedepression thereof for swinging the guard members into extended osition,means carried by one of said mem ers for successively engaging andreturning the other members to their initial positions upon the returnof the platform to its normal position, and means for returning theplatform to its normal position.

4. In a cattle guard the combination with a plurality of verticallyswinging guard members having a mutual pivot, and flexible connectionsbetween said members; of a depressible platform, means for automaticallyraising the platform subsequent to its de' ression, means operated bythe depression of the platform for swinging the guard members intoextended position, and means upon one of said members for successivelyengaging and returning the other members to their normal positions uponthe return movement of the platform.

5. In a cattle guard the combination with a housing; of verticallyswinging guard members mounted therein and having a common pivot,flexible connections between said members and between one of the membersand the housing, a projecting finger upon one of the members extendingacross the other members, and means for swinging said members to extendand to fold the guard.

6. In a cattle guard the combination with vertically swinging guardmembers and flexi ble connections therebetween; of simultaneouslytiltable members, a depressible platform section su orted thereby, alever connected to one o t e vertically swinging members, a link havinga fixed pivot, an intermediate link ivotally connected to said link andto the ever, and means for transmitting motion from the tiltable membersto said links to actuate the lever.

7. In a cattle guard the combination with vertically swinging guardmembers, flexible connections therebetween, and a transverse fingercarried by one of said members; of tiltable devices, a depressibleplatform sec tion supported thereby, a bar connected to one of saidtiltable devices and movable therewith, a lever connected to one of theguaid members, and means operated by the oscillation of said bar fortransmitting motion to the lever to shift the guard members intoextended or folded position.

8. In a cattle guard the combination with vertically swinging guardmembers, flexible connections therebetween, and a device u on one ofsaid members for returning the ot er members to their folded position;of simultaneously movable tiltable devices, a platform section supportedthereby, a bar rigidly connected to and movable with one of saidtiltable devices, a lever adjustably connected to one of the guardmembers, and means operated by the oscillation of the bar for actuatingthe lever to extend or to fold the guard members.

9. In a cattle guard the combination with tiltable devices, adepressible' platform sec tion mounted thereon, and a bar rigidlyconnected to and movable with one of said devices; of verticallyswinging guard members, flexible connections therebetween, a device uponone of said members for returning the other members to their foldedposition, a lever adjustably connected to one of said members, and linksconnected to the lever, one of said levers having a fixed pivot, both ofthe links being mounted upon and actuated by the bar to extend or tofold the guard members.

10. In a cattle guard a vertically swinging guard member, a contactingdevice carried thereby and a supplemental pivoted guard member having aflexible connection with the first mentioned member and disposed to beshifted in one direction by the contacting device.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WVALLACE E. DEMENT.

Witnesses:

JAMES C. BERTRAND, SAMPsoN B. HUGHES.

